CHICHESTER
FESTIVAL THEATRE, CHICHESTER SUSSEX
Festival Theatre Reviews
"JUST
SO"
It is seldom
that one sees a show that can delight all ages, from the wide-eyed toddler
to the ancient granny. The resident repertory company at Chichester
Festival Theatre (CFT) present a really feel-good rendering of Rudyard
Kipling’s "Just So" stories. With music by George Stiles and book and
lyrics by Anthony Lewis they treat us with great veuve to the tale of
the elephant child or "How the Elephant got his Trunk".
Anthony Drewe, who also directs, has chosen to represent the various
animals in the story as humans who carry the characteristics of that
particular animal. Hence, we have a very elegant, tall girl Alexis Owen-Hobbs
– as slow moving and languorous as the giraffe, a sassy dancer, Akiya
Henry, as the zebra and, perhaps best of all, Nicolas Colicos, as the
rhino – hugely cumbersome with clumsy movements and a stentorian voice.
Among the multiplicity of colourful characters who dazzle us with their
diverse talents – singing, dancing and performing acrobatic feats –
I must single out Ahmet Ahmet who portrays a Parsee trying to run a
cake shop without any ingredients! This young actor possesses a rare
charisma – a sort of magical projection that excites and enthralls his
audience. He powerfully emits an ever-changing range of emotions; and
his body language is superb. Even when he’s performing as part of the
chorus he stands out. I hope he has a long and successful career on
the British stage.
The flavour of this Kipling masterpiece which he wrote to amuse his
young daughter is well preserved with proper emphasis on the narrative
– in itself an important feature of the piece. Thus, we can relish mention
of such verbal delights as, for example :"The Great Grey-Green, Greasy
Limpopo River".
It’s always fun to have characters flying in a play. In this we were
treated to seeing the Kolokolo Bird, which had never before had the
courage to spread her wings, finally floating over the audience and
landing triumphantly on stage.
If ever you want to escape the depressing news of everyday happenings
go and lose yourself for a while in Kipling land.
"OUT OF THIS WORLD"
by Cole Porter
Martin Duncan certainly
has a magic touch when it comes to directing musical theatre. Also,
judging by his production of "The Gondoliers" at last season’s Festival,
he loves to set these musicals in the fifties.
"Out of this World" starts with an explosion of energy on Mount Olympus
as the god, Jupiter, his wife Juno and their fourteen children
lay plans for making mischief on Earth. This all singing, all dancing
gallimaufry of talent assaults the senses with powerful voices, snazzy
footwork and glittering costumes.
The story develops apace as we come down to this planet and see Hollywood
movie star Helen Vance, played by Fiona Dunn, embark on her honeymoon
in Greece with Art O’Malley, a Hollywood screenwriter. Simon Greiff
as the latter has a gift for playing and singing the romantic lead at
the same time sending himself up in an irresistably comic manner. Fiona
Dunn, with her strong soprano voice and glamorous looks, fills the bill
perfectly as his bride.
It gave me enormous pleasure, though, to see Anne Reid given the chance
to take the stage in a big way as the goddess, Juno, who comes down
to Earth as a middle-aged American tourist. This fine actress and singer
who many will remember for long years in "Coronation Street" was given
an opportunity to use her lovely voice and, above all, to display her
gift for comedy. Her timing in such numbers as "Cherry Pies", where
she sings with Darlene Johnson, was hilarious.
The policy of the Festival management at Chichester of not employing
big names in their shows demonstrates what a host of supremely gifted
actors there are just waiting in the wings for their chance. Otherwise,
it would be a case of:-
"…Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air".
I truly think the Chichester Festival Theatre has a smash hit on its
hands. Cheer yourself up with this tonic of a show.
"A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM"
by William Shakespeare
As in "Out of This World"
we have a play set in Greece. If you remember, last year we had the
first two plays of the Season set in Venice! The Directors must confer
on themes, methinks.
Before I start telling you about this highly intelligent and diverting
production I must make a plea for just a little more scenery. Shakespeare
set his play in a bosky wood near Athens. In the event, we had to endure
an entirely bare stage. Just a few branches, cleverly lit, could have
served to suggest the leafy bower where the Fairies act out their merry
japes; and the ill-starred lovers their heartfelt wooing. Having got
that off my chest, however, I found there was a wonderful understanding
of the text and a richly comic rendering by the Mechanicals, or "Bottom
party".
Norma Dumezweni gave an inspiring performance doubling as Hippolyta,
Queen of Amazon, and Titania, Queen of the Fairies. This actress possesses
a magisterial quality well-suited to both parts. Her costumes, too,
were suitably luscious. She must have carried out one of the quickest
changes on record at the end of Act III!
The Fairies - boys and girls – whizzed about the thrust stage as if
they’d been shot by catapults. They wore very brightly coloured tutus
and wore blue wigs. The lovers, especially Akiya Henry as Hermia, who
touches the heart with the unfairness of her plight, provide strong
ensemble playing. John Marquez as Puck gave us a new take on the character
by eliminating any impishness and portraying him as a witty henchman
to Oberon, King of the Fairies.
Director Gale Edwards should be very happy with his production.
The Master and Margarita
Edward Kemp, dramaturg at
the Chichester Festival Theatre (CFT), has adapted a 1940s novel by
the Russian, Mikhail Bulgakov, into a phantasmagoria of a play. I suspect
that Director Steven Pimlott has also played an important part in incorporating
vividly imaginative sequences to this nightmarish dream of a scenario.
This many-layered production starts out by seeming to represent the
repressive regime in Soviet Russia in 1923. The Master, a playwright
magnificently portrayed by Sam West, has written a play based on the
story of the Crucifixion. This is turned down by the theatre in Moscow
and, from then onwards, the story develops into a series of seemingly
unrelated and bizarre events. These have the effect of plunging the
audience into a vortex of passionate love, hideous evil and wild fantasy.
The pace is suitably fast and we are dazzled by the extraordinary spectacles
of magic, cataclysmic sounds and explosive lighting effects on stage.
Someone flies effortlessly across the audience to join the fray as the
ceiling of the auditorium opens to release thousands of paper rouble
notes.
Engulfed by the surreal atmosphere of "The Master and Margarita" it
is best to surrender to the whole and let it wash over you. One thing
I can guarantee is that you won’t be bored for an instant.
The resident ensemble of actors at CFT has established a fine reputation.
This performance certainly maintains that. Michael Feast as Woland,
a mad professor alias the Devil, is mesmerising. Clare Holman as Margarita,
the Master’s girlfriend who transposes into a witch, is at times very
poignant. I must also put in a word for Noma Dumezwent who portrays
very realistically a sophisticated cat. It’s not easy to get across
much subtlety while you’re wearing a heavy cat costume yet Noma achieves
a remarkable amour of sangfroid, almost getting a laugh a line.
"The Master and Margarita" altogether pushes out the barrier of conventional
drama. It heightens the senses and leads one’s imagination down hitherto
untrodden routes.
Ann St.Clair-Stannard
NOTE
The Chichester Festival 2004 continues until September 25th.
A permanent ensemble of actors and creative teams will perform eight
productions in repertoire, including two World Premières and two UK
Premières.
Ticket prices have been frozen for the second year in succession. All
of the eight shows can be seen at prices starting at £8 .(Children £4)
and there will be a new Family Ticket for the Family Musical, Rudyard
Kipling’s "Just So".
The other play being performed in the Festival Theatre is "The Master
and Margarita", by Mikhail Bulganov.
At the adjacent Minerva Theatre - "Three Women and a Piano Tuner" by
Helen Cooper, "Seven Doors" by Botho Strauss, "Cruel and Tender" by
Martin Crimp and "Doctor Faustus" by Christopher Marlowe.
For further information call the Chichester Festival Theatre Box Office
on 01243 781312